It's not exactly smart, but it's smarter than a lot of the other shows going around. They reference these kinds of things a lot, and they often make literary references and other "smart" things. For most people it's just another cartoon, but for people who understand most of those references it's not "dumb" at all.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 6:43:47 PM#9 You can't see it, but JFK's blood is still on Jackie's dress when this picture was taken. I wonder if it was dry yet? They forced her to go stand beside Johnson to "prove it was authentic". They gave her so many tranquilizers, she could barely stand up...

@paperduck: Oh it is! They have it "spot on".

The 3rd picture is from the Spanish Civil War, but idk which Simpsons episode it was in...